Tweak Tweak

I have not blogged the past 2 nights because I've been catching up on some very important things. Like my Tivo'd episodes of Selling New York that I missed while we were out of town. OMG, I am completely addicted to that show. DH and I honeymooned in New York many years ago, and in my fantasy world, one of these days we buy a little place up there and get there about once a month. (Uh-huh. Right after I get my book deal and ocean front beach house).
***
The past few times I've made my homemade mac and cheese, it hasn't come out all that great. The sauce was a little gritty and tasted almost dry. It occurred to me later that I was using the pre-shredded packaged cheese, which I don't normally use. I switched back to the block cheese that I grate myself, and it came out perfectly again. So if you've done the same thing, and your results haven't been fabulous, try going back to block cheese and put a little elbow grease into grating it yourself. Another tip: because I use a combination of mozzarella and cheddar cheese for my sauce, I often use my food processor to grate entire blocks of both at one time. This is far more cheese than you need for one batch of mac and cheese, but the grated cheese freezes beautifully and is all ready for you the next time you need it.
***
For those who need it, here's the sort-of-recipe:

Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add one cup milk, and whisk constantly until it starts to thicken. If it gets too thick, add more milk slowly, up to one additional cup (I find how thick my white sauce gets depends on whether I am using skim, 1%, or 2% milk. It's an inexact science, but you'll get the hang of it.) Once you have a nice thick-but-not-too-thick white sauce going, turn off the heat and whisk in 1 cup each of cheddar and mozzarella cheese (disclosure: I vary these amounts all the time, because I just throw the cheese in by the handful until it gets as cheesy as I want it) (wow, it's harder than you would think to write down recipes for food preparation that just floats around in your head).
***
This is THE best whisk for making the cheese sauce. The flat bottom lets you get all the nice floury bits at the bottom of your pan and helps ensure your sauce isn't lumpy. If you don't have one, get one! You will use it all the time.

The Object of My Affection

My husband gave me this Breville coffee maker for Christmas one year, and I have an irrationally strong attachment to it. As in, I love it. I actually feel fondness and affection for an appliance in my kitchen.

It's just perfect. It's fast, the coffee is scalding hot, and since I'm the only coffee drinker in the house, the one cup feature is wonderful. But here's my dilemma. We are traveling in a few weeks for the boys' spring break, and I'm not sure I can do without it for a full 9 mornings. I shudder at the thought. A quick weekend away, sure, I can survive, and then our reunion is all the sweeter for having missed each other. But 9 mornings without my morning love?? I'm really not sure I can do it. (A quick shout out to my sister-in-law, who, knowing my coffee addiction, actually has a similar coffee maker tucked away in a closet that gets trotted out during our visits. Bless her.) So, I think it's going to have to come with us. I didn't save the original box, which means I'll be running out to the UPS store to buy a box and bubble wrap. My husband thinks this plan is the Pinnacle Of Crazy. I say he has only himself to blame.

What a Crock

I keep trying to write this post, and am totally distracted by my three year old "reading" to himself in bed. So I apologize ahead of time if it is completely incoherent...I just can't help but stop and listen to his sweet little voice.
***
A week or two ago, we got a ton of gorgeous broccoli in our farm box delivery. We had it that night on baked potatoes with melted cheese, and then I put the rest of it, a huge bag, in one of the kitchen drawers. I had grand plans of finding a recipe for broccoli casserole using fresh broccoli, and posting it here. Want to know what really, really smells? Broccoli that was shoved to the back of a refrigerator drawer and completely forgotten about. Gah.
***
I am a total sucker for all kitchen tools. I could never, ever be one of those minimalists who manages to cook all of Thanksgiving dinner with one knife, a cast iron pan, and a microwave. But I'm also ruthless when it comes to cleaning out drawers and closets. It doesn't take much for me to bring something home, but kitchen tools have to really pull their weight for me to keep them. I am on the verge of getting rid of my crock pot. I so rarely use it, and it takes up such prime real estate in the kitchen cabinets. It keeps getting a reprieve from all the magazines that come in swearing to have the "slow cooker recipe to change your life," though none of them ever sound like something I really want to make. If any readers really do have the crock pot recipe that changes your life, please share. The pot is on borrowed time.

Hearts to You

Atlanta Mom asked what I used to make my heart pancakes yesterday. I have these heart molds, which handily enough can be used for eggs as well as pancake batter. You can order them from Amazon.

Before you use them, spray them well with cooking spray. I am a total sucker for kitchen tools of all kinds, but these are particularly fun. I'm currently on the hunt for a shamrock for St. Patrick's Day - if any of you come across one, let me know! (I have learned the hard way - cookie cutters are no substitute for proper pancake molds, because there's no little cork-covered handle that allows you to pick them up in order to flip the pancake.)